The government and the opposition parties last evening began tripartite talks on the Amaila Falls hydropower project.
A three-hour long meeting was attended by teams from the government and opposition groups, APNU and the AFC.
Afterward, AFC representative Gerhard Ramsaroop told Stabroek News that he was impressed by the amount and quality of information made available by the government. He said that the government “was very forthcoming,” while adding that the opposition pledged to continue engaging the government on the project in its entirety.
Ramsaroop said that the pertinent questions regarding the project were asked and the answers were forthcoming. The significance of the project and the benefits it will bring to the country in the long run, he added, were discussed in detail.
He said that the government sought the support of the opposition. “There is nothing wrong with that [but] there are still those issues which must be kept in the spotlight to ensure that the right checks and balances are there,” he explained.
According to Ramsaroop, although the government has said the project may take years to develop, the AFC made it clear that the party did not stand for “anti-development.”
He said that the details of the discussions and the project cannot be placed in the public domain, while adding that there are other issues regarding the project which will be discussed at future engagements between the parties.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh told reporters at the post-Cabinet briefing earlier yesterday that the administration has recognized the need for the project to advance as quickly as possible.
“We have in fact decided to take advantage as an administration of the political architecture that has been assembled,” Singh said, referring to the tripartite discussions.
Speaking on the Amaila Falls road project, according to the Government Informa-tion Agency (GINA), Singh explained that a major international investor – a subsidiary of the Blackstone Group – has taken over the project. Government this year terminated the contract with Fip Motilall’s Synergy Holdings for construction of the road over non-performance.
Singh yesterday released all the documentation on the project to the media.
According to GINA, the Amaila Falls Hydropower project will generate reliable, affordable and clean energy and is a fundamental component of the government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The project involves the construction of a hydropower plant in the vicinity of the Amaila Falls, where the Amaila and Kuribrong rivers meet. Electricity will be provided to Linden and Georgetown via high powered 230-voltage transmission line.
The 65 km long road will be built to connect the site to the existing Bartica-Potaro road and another new road approximately 20 km long will be constructed from the existing Mabura road to the Essequibo River.
According to GINA, other existing roads will be upgraded in order to provide access to equipment, supplies and personnel to construct the plant.
